Birth Control Methods

Due to growing economic problems across the globe, families find it hard to accommodate a large number of children for it really costs a fortune to raise a child. Still amidst these problems, couples have the need to maintain their sexual lifestyle active. Different birth control methods have been developed to enable these couples to do just that.

There are a wide variety of birth control types that can be chosen from. Each has its own method and has a different percentage in the success of preventing the egg from being fertilized.

The first one, with a hundred percent chance of prevention is Abstinence. By its very definition, Abstinence is to abstain from having intercourse and engaging in it only when to conceive a child is the very intention.

Another is Fertility Awareness or Family Planning. There are no devices or medication involved in this method. It is about knowing how the human body works in terms of reproduction. Knowing when ovulation happens and when a woman is in her most fertile state and the opposite of it. Most refer to this as the calendar method. Engaging in sexual intercourse in days when fertility is at its lowest.

Barrier Methods are those that are widely used by many couples. It involves physical or chemical barriers that prevent the sperm from entering the uterus for a chance to fertilize the egg. Among the popular are condoms (for both male and female), spermicides, cervical caps and contraceptive sponges.

There are also Hormonal Methods which are administered, injected, patched or implanted and contains artificial hormones for estrogen and progesterone. It either prevents the ovaries from releasing an egg each month, causes the cervix to thicken which prevents sperm cells from going through or makes the uterus wall thinner that disables an egg to attach itself and in turn prevents fertilization. Methods range from birth control pills to Intrauterine Devices or IUD.

Lastly are Withdrawals and Sterilization. Withdrawal involves the removal of the male organ from the woman prior to ejaculation while sterilization is an operation done to permanently cease reproductivity. Procedures done to women are called tubal ligations and to men, vasectomies. Withdrawals and Sterilizations do not prevent sexually transmitted diseases unlike the other birth control types.

There are a wide variety of birth control methods but in spite of which methods are used it all boils down to being responsible everytime sexual intercourse is performed.